Don’t forget to visit our new and exciting Indian security news channel – I4S India. Why not get involved? That’s not a threat, that’s an invitation!

If you’ve been sad recently, the very existence of the IFSEC Conference 2009 will make you happy again. It’s where all the best and most important people in security go, not just to discuss matters and the like, but to have a good time. It’s your doorway to a world of security wonder and knowledge!

News and exclusives galore today on info4security, kicking off with the latest in Security Installer editor Alan Hyder‘s series of incisive and insightful interviews with the movers and shakers in the UK security industry. Following on from his lauded discussion with Alun John of Norbain, this time Alan speaks to Paul Wong, MD of Bosch in the UK, about the state of the industry and what the future holds.

Speaking of uncanny, the mysterious magicians behind the IFSEC Conference 2009 have managed to pull several hundred metaphorical rabbits out of the one undersized, tiny hat for this year’s event, with top level speakers and attendees of an unparalleled calibre ready to share their wisdom and knowledge with you. Yes you, specifically. It’s the place to go, even if you are not a fan of overwrought and clumsy segues, such as the one at the start of this paragraph.

People often get the word ‘highfalutin’ wrong, assuming it’s actually ‘high for Luton’ – something to do with the airport there, perhaps. I’m fairly certain it has nothing to do with any kind of drug-fuelled celebration of the town’s existence.

Today on I4S we’re saying ‘Hi to Luton’ in a story about some CCTV that is in the centre of the town. Heck, why not read it and find out more?

Despite the fact that Twickenham does not appear in any kind of common linguistic mix-up scenario, we’ve still deigned to allocate it some space in the security news-sphere. Rugby is popular there, apparently, and now people are being prevented from stealing replica jerseys and the like.

And while we’re talking deals, a really good one is for the modules that make up the IFSEC Conference 2009. This means you can pay for individual sessions on topics of interest to you. It’s totally modular, dudes!

Vertical markets. The term evokes images of bustling traders, piled high, one atop the other, with customers clambering over the stalls in search of the bargains they feel must be available at the summit. A vertical market of this kind, then, is a large-scale tragedy waiting to happen, what with the lack of support and people piling higher and higher into the sky and the prevailing winds etc.

Fortunately, that’s not the sense in which we’re using the phrase today. The ‘vertical markets’ featured in beguiling and interest-worthy stories on I4S today include the health and education sectors. In healthcare, one group of UK care homes is investing in iris recognition technology for security improvements.

And in education news, there’s an IP CCTV extension taking place at the University of Sussex thanks to Bosch. It’s all very Sussex-centric today, for some reason.

And IndigoVision has been chosen to protect a hospital in Palermo, so that’s another example of the healthcare vertical market, going some way to justifying my somewhat self-indulgent introductory paragraph. Nice work!

Oh, here’s some more evidence/a convenient plug: next week is the conference Securing Educational Establishments. That’s the education market, there. You should go to it, or at least ask some pertinent questions. It would reflect well on you as a human being. Dignified!

We’ve jumped out of the blocks at startling and impressive speed this week here at I4S, with security news stories straining every sinew to get to your computer in world record time. We’ll let you know about the results of any post-race testing.

Steve Collins is in fine form today. The weapons-related criminality expert says it’s time adequate training was given to security officers to help them deal with knife crime.

Then go ahead and book yourself a place at the IFSEC Conference 2009. If you’re not there, there is a slight chance that you will fall into a deep depression that will preclude your involvement in any joyful or celebratory moments in the lives of your friends, family and colleagues, due to your unpopular and anti-social moroseness. A slight chance!

It’s been a positively effervescent week here at I4S, with small bubbles of metaphorical news gas popping all over the joint. Kind of.

We celebrated the official launch of I4S India, the thrilling new channel that is a vital resource for anyone interested in the state of security in India – and the opportunities it provides. Launchtastic!

New regular contributor John Honovich kicked off his IP view from the US column with stories and links to the latest happenings on the technological front across the pond. Have a nice day!

Also this week, Security Installer editor Alan Hyder strapped on his opinion pack and ignited the analysis jets with the flaming torch of clear-headed observation, jetting off towards the mixed metaphor horizon in his SI Editor’s View. Something like that, anyway.

While you’re visiting I4S, you should shuffle your eyes across to the right hand side of the page, and the unique ‘Industry Focus‘ feature. This is the all-singing, all-dancing ‘related content’ whatchamacallit that allows companies to provide additional information about their products and services which is relevant to the editorial content that you’re reading. It was invented by some kind of crazy genius or something! So I am reliably informed. Have a click or three, anyway. Go on. It’ll be fun.

Once you’re calmed down, seriously consider attending the IFSEC Conference 2009. It will involve the true heavyweights of the industry wrestling with the big issues of the day – and emerging triumphant. Yeah!!

Prison. It’s one of those places you’d prefer not to go if you had any choice in the matter, unless, perhaps, you’d gone completely mad in the brains. But that hasn’t stopped 2020 Vision – who, I hasten to add, are not mad, and are possibly a little above average in the IQ stakes, if anything – from agreeing a four year contract to maintain CCTV in 14 different prisons. Chilling. But rewarding.

The prisoners currently doing time in those establishments probably have a reasonable amount of time to fritter away (hello to any prisoners who may be reading! I’m afraid I cannot condone your illegal and/or antisocial behaviour, unfortunately, but it’s nice to have you on board), so they could do worse than watch tonight’s special episode of UK documentary series CCTV Cities, on Channel Five. It’s about football security at a Leeds v Millwall match, which is likely to have passed without incident.

And IP megapixel camera folks Basler have integrated their products with video management system LuxRiot – one of the most rock and roll sounding company names in all of security. Can anyone think of anything more rock?

The most rock and roll security conference on the annual calendar takes place at IFSEC. Appropriately enough, it’s called the IFSEC Conference 2009. Rock on.